Here’s a potentially life-saving and thirst-quenching design prototype that we like: British designer Alon Alex Gross has created fog and dew collectors that build on conventional techniques of rain harvesting with lightweight, modern materials. Yet, the design is easy enough for people living in water-scarce developing areas to collect clean drinking water.

His dew collector, pictured above, weighs a mere 400 grams and has a special laminate foil that pulls dew drops to it, allowing it to collect up to 1.5 liters of fresh water per night. Because extreme conditions can harm the laminate foil, Gross has also designed an additional sensor system that can react to atmospheric changes by opening or closing the apparatus accordingly. Both are very refreshing and low-tech design responses, providing water to people who need it most.

In the world we live in, we never know what is coming next. Fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters can lead to disastrous situations. That is why we should always be prepared to be able to survive in many conditions. One key factor to survival in all situations is to get clean and safe water for drinking. In this article I will share how to build a filter for water purification, using only materials found in the wilderness (with the exception of cloth). I will also show you how to finally boil your water for purification in the wilderness.

So let’s get started!

First, gather all needed materials. you will only need one tool – A knife. Here is the list of the materials we will be using:

– Birch Bark

– A Small Live Branch or Small Live Plant

– Charcoal

– Gravel

– Stones

– A piece of clothing

The first thing we are going to need is the birch bark. We will use this bark to hold the filter together in a cone shape. Cut the bark in a half circle with a diameter of roughly one foot. Then, roll the bark into a cone. Of course, you could also use the top of a waterbottle that is cut in half (if you can find it during emergency situations).

The second item is a small live branch. Normally I wouldn’t suggest to cut live branch, but we are talking about a survival situation. We need to use the live branch or plant to tie the cone shape together.

What do you think about the picture? Polar bear doing yoga? This is not a picture for fun, but indeed, it’s a heart-breaking one that tells a big story.

The seawater surrounding the bear was once a piece of huge iceberg and the homeland for polar bears. But since the recent century, the Earth’s temperature has increased 0.8%, declaring the age of global warming. Humans are the main cause of global warming. We produce excessive CO2 that traps the heat inside the atmosphere.

We cause global warming but we’re not the only species that have to bear the consequences. Hotter temperatures melt the ice. Polar bears have evolved for a life on the sea ice, which they rely on for reaching their seal prey. But the arctic sea ice is rapidly diminishing due to a warming earth, affecting the entire arctic ecosystem. For polar bears, sea ice losses doesn’t only mean higher sea level (that can increase the risk of drowning!), but also means the reduced access to food, lower cub survival rates, and the loss of their homeland! Polar bears are now forced to swim longer distances due to decreasing sea ices.

Humans have led this problem. And we are the ones who have to fix it. Time to conserve polar bears is becoming stringent. This means all of us – individuals, communities, businesses, and states – must work together and act now.